Animal control officer fatally shot in California

GALT, Calif. (AP) — An animal control officer was fatally shot Wednesday when he went to retrieve pets from a Sacramento County home where the resident had been evicted a day earlier, authorities said.

Police surrounded the two-story house where the shooting suspect has barricaded himself inside, sheriff's Sgt. Jason Ramos. No contact had been made with the suspect.

Police have evacuated neighboring homes as well as a nearby elementary school in Galt, about 20 miles south of Sacramento.

"We've got the place surrounded and we're evacuating nearby residents who are potentially at risk because they're in the line of fire," Ramos told The Associated Press.

The suspect is believed to be the man who was evicted Tuesday, Ramos said. The locks had been changed, and it was unclear how the person got into the house.

The unarmed animal control officer and a bank employee had gone to the home around noon to pick up several dogs and cats. The evicted resident had complained that he had nowhere to take his animals, Ramos said.

When the pair knocked, a person inside fired a shotgun through the door, hitting the officer's torso, Ramos said. The officer's identity has not been released.

The bank employee flagged down a police volunteer, who helped pull the officer to safety, but paramedics were unable to revive him, Ramos said. The bank official suffered minor injuries but was not hit by gunfire.